Not everyone can get a bank account. Credit history requirements, identity verification hurdles, and the commercial indifference of major banks to low-income customers create a significant population of UK adults who are either unbanked or relying on basic accounts that don't serve their needs. Cashplus was founded in London in 2005 to serve that underserved segment with a prepaid current account that didn't require a credit check, offered a Mastercard debit card, and provided the banking functionality that most people take for granted — direct debits, standing orders, online banking. The product was designed for people the system had written off: those with poor credit histories, recent bankrupts, and the self-employed with irregular income. Cashplus subsequently received a full UK banking licence in 2021, becoming Cashplus Bank — one of the few fintechs to have navigated from a prepaid product to a fully licensed bank. That transition gave it the ability to offer savings products and business accounts alongside its core financial inclusion proposition. In the UK financial inclusion landscape, Cashplus's evolution from a prepaid workaround to a licensed bank is one of the more complete journeys in European fintech — a company that started by serving the people banks rejected and ended up becoming one.